By Kunle Awosiyan
CITIZENS COMPASS – The news about the constitutionality of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) dominated the media space last week and I think it will continue until the judiciary and the legislature act on the new call to derail the anti graft agency.
Firstly, the judiciary, I mean the Supreme Court will have to give its verdict on the presumed illegality of the law that formed the agency brought about by 16 state governments.
However, the Ogun State Government had denied being a part of the states that sought such clarification. Governor Dapo Abiodun denied being part of the 16 when the news broke out last week that the court would be hearing the matter.
Although, it was a jubilation for the former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello who initially orchestrated the campaign to hide his alleged allegations of financial misappropriation.
Second, the National Assembly will be looking at the letter of a senior advocate and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba who also thinks that there is a need to constitutionalise the formation of EFCC.
However, the position of another senior advocate was emphatic enough that the noise about making EFCC to look like an illegal organisation should not be too loud because it takes little to perfect whatever imperfection about the law that created the anti graft agency.
He said, “it only requires the National Assembly to constitutionalise it while the agency continues to perform its duty.”
Even though Agbakoba denied vehemently of trying to work for the 16 states, yet he thought that the EFCC has not done better in prosecuting looters and recovering stolen funds.
This is to me a personal view, that is bereft of quality research to convince members of the public about the performance of the EFCC from its creation and most especially under Olukoyede.
Between May 29, 2023 and May,2024, under the leadership of the present EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, the agency has Secured over 3, 000 Convictions and recovered over N200 billion.
In a year, the EFCC also recovered $43,835,214.24, £25,365.00, €186,947.10, ₹51,360.00, C$3,750.00 , A$740.00, ¥74,754.00, R35,000.00, 42,390.00 UAE Dirhams, 247.00 Riyals and 21,580, 867631 Crypto Currency.
A new scorecard of the agency boss showed that 3,455 convictions were recorded within the last one year of Olukoyede’s reign as the EFCC boss, October 19th, 2023 to September 30th, 2024.
The number was confirmed by the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, during an interview with newsmen on Monday.
The convicts were those apprehended by the agency’s 14 regional offices and its headquarters and found guilty by different courts for financial and other related crimes across the country.
A further breakdown of the conviction statistics revealed that legal counsel attached to both the EFCC headquarters and the 14 regional offices were in a race of sorts to ensure that the anti-corruption agency is not defeated by suspects in courts.
A breakdown of the statistics showed that 826 convictions were recorded at different courts in the country between October 19th to December 31st, 2023.
Between January 1st to September 30th, 2024, 2,629 convictions were gotten through various courts after the offenders were found guilty of the crimes levelled against them by the anti-graft agency.
Top among the zones where convictions were recorded is Lagos State where the agency won 684 graft cases filed before courts after thorough investigations.
Aside from Lagos, the agency’s zonal office in Ibadan, Oyo State recorded victory in 510 cases and was closely followed by the Benin office, Edo State where convictions were obtained on 413 cases within the year under review.
Through the Enugu zonal office, the anti-graft agency under the Olukoyede’s watch secured convictions on 383 cases and Uyo office in Akwa Ibom State had 296 convictions, ensuring that those linked to the financial and other related crimes serve their jail terms in prisons.
Within the period under review, the EFCC office in Kaduna State recorded convictions on 219 cases filed before courts while the headquarters in Federal Capital Territory Abuja had 163 convictions from courts.
Part of the convictions were recorded during the enforcement of laws against currency mutilation and dollarization of the economy by socialites and other distinguished citizens of the country.
The Special Task Force against the act under the agency’s boss succeeded in changing the behavioural approach of Nigerians in handling the Naira after securing convictions.
Of the total convictions, over 35 were secured on cases concerning currency mutilation across the country.
Among the convicts, which cut across different classes of the society, includes Idris Okuneye (a.k.a Bobrisky) and a Nollywood actress, Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin, who bagged six months imprisonment topping the chart of high- profile convicts in this regard.
While the convictions had protected national currency from persistent abuse and others, the Olukoyede-led EFCC secured judgement on a 68-year-old United States citizen, Marco Ramirez, who was arraigned for engaging in $1.6M visa fraud and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
Also, judgement was gotten by the agency on the suit brought before the court against a graduate, Ikpaka Courage, who impersonated Chinedu Okoli popularly called Flavour, duping a United States woman, Yvette Thompson, $53,000.
Olabinjor Ajobor, a businessman, was sentenced to seven years jail after he was dragged before court by the agency for engaging in fraud worth N6 million.
The efforts of the agency’s investigation and prosecution led to the court sentencing Director of Asher Trust Investment, Daniel Ungbo, who was convicted for illegally converting property worth N128 million to five years imprisonment.
Apart from running after corrupt individuals, under Olukoyede, the EFCC came up with the idea of “Zero Tolerance Club”, an advocate scheme to sensitise students across the country against advanced fee fraud and cybercrime.
In March this year, 74 suspects of the of cybercrime were arrested in Ogun state in June, 127 “yahoo boys” were arrested in Akure and 100 in Enugu. in September this year again, 46 of them were arrested in Warri and 117 in Lagos in June, 15 in Rivers of the same month.
According to the media department of the anti graft agency, property worth billions of Naira owned by former politicians and public servants and found to have been acquired with corrupt proceeds were seized by the agency.
A very good example of them were those seized from the former governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, whose cases are still ongoing with the plan to recover more stolen funds.
At present, there are other bigger cases that the EFCC is pursuing, one of which is that of Yahaya Bello over N180 billion alleged misappropriation put together.
In spite of this commendable performance, one is deeply worried about the plan of some elements in the society to derail the workings of EFCC.
There is no justification that will make yahoo yahoo acceptable in the society nor should an anti graft agency be subjected to scrutiny because it is going after some big politicians and corrupt private individuals and corporations.
Contrary to the impression in some quarters, being a fraudster is not synonymous with creativity or being smart, the Director of Public Affairs Department of the Commission, DCE Wilson Uwujaren once said.
The blessings that God has given Nigeria has not really translated into wealth for all of us. And for some of us who are a little bit older, we have cause to express worry about the future of our children and the future of our youths.
This is one of the reasons the EFCC launched a Zero Tolerance Club for youth a few months ago to sensitize the public on why it is important to embrace the fight against corruption.
More disturbing is the call by some sponsored Civil Society Organisations that are calling on the Supreme Court to decentralise EFCC.
To them the constitutionality of the EFCC is more important than its performance and so therefore the Attorney General of the Federation should stop his alleged pressure on Supreme Court to go against principles of federalism.
To them EFCC is a legal agency when it goes after their enemies but an illegal agency when it goes after their friends and cronies.
While the paid CSOs were busy doing their bidders job, Olukoyede was named Nigerian foremost anti- graft accountability champion.
At the Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service organised by The Best Strategic PR, TBS, in collaboration with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Olukoyede clinched the Award for his ” scorecard and exceptional delivery in public service”.
The Award was presented to him by the Vice- President, Kashim Shettima at the State House Conference Centre.
Maryam Mohammed, Managing Partner and Founder, Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service, says Olukoyede was honoured for ” significantly improving public service delivery, courageously undertaking risks to drive positive change, advocating for a more democratic society, championing social equity, effectively reforming governmental institutions, achieving substantial cost savings in government operations and developing a cadre of influential government leaders”.
A few weeks ago he was honoured with the ” Man of Valour” Award by the Global Peace Movement International.
The current battle against EFCC is a fight by corrupt Nigerians against Nigeria and must quickly be stopped or else corruption will be legalised in the name of constitutionalising the anti graft agency.
While the legislative and the judiciary are allowed to do their work, Nigerians should stand against paid CSOs from parading themselves as the representatives of the common men.
The effectiveness of the anticorruption agencies to arrest the dangerous trends of the epidemic of corruption in Nigeria’s public and private spaces is not in question but corruption is holding this country down and fighting back to derail the workings of the EFCC.
Kunle Awosiyan is a seasoned journalist and regular columnist.
